Awkward is My Specialty...What's YOURS?

Listen, usually awkwardness isn’t something to brag about, but here I go anyway. I. am. awkward.Sometimes I present myself well and other times I go into a meeting with peanut butter on my shirt, trip over my laptop bag, and fall into the lap of some poor unsuspecting person who now has to assess the situation and choose how to respond. Can we recover? Do we make direct eye contact? Should this conversation have been an email instead? Probably.

Sometimes I go in for a hug when the other person goes in for a hand shake.

Sometimes I dance too wildly that I don’t realize that the lining of my dress has gone up past my baby-got-back booty.

Sometimes I sing out loud in public bathrooms, hallways, or other places with inexplicably great acoustics.

Sometimes I burst into tears in public because crying is my medium response to almost any situation, good or bad.

And sometimes, I have a little problem with bladder control (thanks, kids!) so that several of my stories actually start or end with, “I peed my pants a little.”

Oh, and I’m an over-sharer. So even if you don’t want to know what just happened to me, you will be on the receiving end of whatever weird news is headlining my life that day.

In fact, why not share now? In the event you’ve never been on the receiving end of one of my urination stories, here’s one just for you.

A couple weeks ago I was in a major rush to change clothes and head to a networking event. As I was ripping off my jeans, I decided that I should pee real fast before slipping my dress pants on. So I launched myself down on the toilet (with the grace of a baby giraffe) and let the stream flow. And then, once it was far too late, I realized that I hadn’t actually pulled my underwear down. And the weird ricochet and splashing made for some now-I’m-running-really-late cleanup. Then I was faced with a choice. I could either beat myself up for being so ridiculous and ill-equipped to be a person or I could laugh at the fact that “you just can’t make this stuff up” and plan to share the story with as many innocent people as possible. Second option, for the win!

So, what’s the point? The point is that in embracing my awkwardness and leaning in where others may lean out, I have the best stories! No one goes through life like I do. And no one can tell my stories but me. And because God’s given me the gift of storytelling, this all works out for His good. For the good of the powerful I Am Mother of the Year movement, relatable speaking gigs, impactful radio show, and a soon-to-be-released journal that will help women pinpoint the lies they believe and replace them with the truth about who they are. Even if that means they are awkward like me.

One of my friends recently said, “Lisa, you have the gift of being yourself in a way that helps others do the same.” And I about cried. That’s exactly why I started this Mother of the Year movement. To go first in sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly in my motherhood so that moms across the country could be free to go second. So that no mother would feel alone in her chaos, struggles, or successes.

We need each other. I’m happy to share my mess first and show the silly and uncomfortable parts of myself…because awkward is my specialty. And I refuse to be anything or anyone other than who I actually am.

What about you? What’s your specialty? What are you hiding from your world that you need to show up with? Maybe it isn’t awkwardness. Maybe it’s your unparalleled compassion. Your heart for kids with special needs. Your hospitality. Your consistency. Your organization. Your way with money, words, or song.

If you don’t know what you bring to the table…girl, I’ve got you covered. There’s an online course that will help you (re)discover your uniqueness called Spiritual DNA. I can’t sing its praises enough. So, seriously, take this course and then join ME and other Mothers of the Year at the Spiritual DNA LIVE workshop in Carmel, IN on Saturday, May 4th. We’ll be putting together results and getting inspired to start showing up to life as who we were born to be. I really hope to see you there.

And just so ya know, showing up as yourself is waaaaaaay more peaceful that trying to show up as anyone else. That’s just too much work and #aintnobodygottimeforthat.